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From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Supreme Court yesterday, delivered a judgment in the protracted obaship dispute in Ikenne Remo, Ogun State.
The apex court nullified the installation of Oba Mosudi Adeyinka Onakade and declared the Alakenne stool vacant.
The decision affirmed the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, which held that Onakade’s emergence contravened the 1998 Alakenne Chieftaincy Declaration.
The court declared the process illegal, null and void, set aside his approval, and restrained him from parading himself as Alakenne.
The ruling marked a turning point in the long legal battle between supporters of Onakade and Prince Yomi Ademola Adeyiga-Adeneye, who challenged the 2011 installation.
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The dispute followed the death of Oba Gilbert Akindoyin Awomuti, with multiple ruling houses contesting succession rights. While an Ogun State High Court upheld Onakade’s installation in 2020, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision in March 2024, a position now affirmed by the Supreme Court. The apex court emphasised that the 1998 Declaration remains the valid legal framework for future selection.
However, it held that Onakade could not be barred from participating in a fresh process. It also dismissed an appeal by the Ogun State Government.
Reacting, Prince Adeyiga-Adeneye described the ruling as liberation for Ikenne.
“Peace and reconciliation should prevail. Ikenne is free at last,” he said.
He urged residents to remain calm amid possible renewed tensions.
